ReefQuest has moved!

You have reached the older first blog for ReefQuest. We have moved to a new platform. Please link to www.ReefQuest.org for our latest web site, which includes our famous Virtual Reef.

How do I join ReefQuest?

Joining a mission is free and easy. Simply click on the links to the mission that interest you. You do not have to register and it is completely free.  Start by reading what is offered and what is going on. The BLOG section will give you the mission pulse, and it is the main feed for all the kids participating. You can join a discussion or follow along. Each blog entry will document another step in the discovery. Most entries involve some kind of activity for you to get involved. Do get involved and post back the results for all to share. Remember there is no right or wrong answer, rather every observation and experiment that you make could hold the answers for the whole group. So join in, do not be afraid to ask questions and work with us!

ReefQuest Videolog - Day 3 - The DIVE!

We we are finally ready for our first dive. Join us with Diver Chris Doherty and the crew of Lahaina SNUBA for our first underwater exploration of the reef. During this dive we discovered a "Crown of Thorns" starfish which is a predator to the coral that was imported to Hawaii from Australia. This starfish eats the Coral. We could see dead coral around the starfish. The crown of thorns can grow from the size of a grain of sand to the size of a dinner plate. The sharp thorns on the sides of the tentacles resemble thorns, making a crown shape, hence the name, Crown of Thorns. An exceptionally large crown of thorns can grow to be the size of a car tire. Divers kill these predators by injecting the starfish's own stomach acid into each of their many legs. If even one leg is missed the sea star can live on. Before overpopulation, crown of thorns kept the fast growing coral from overpowering the slower growing coral. It then proceeds to destroy the coral. It has become a dire threat to the Great Barrier Reef and our reef. If accidentally touched or stepped on by humans, the starfish's long spines are capable of pricking and stinging, inflicting great pain that can last for hours, as well as nausea and vomiting. Frequently, the area around the puncture turns a dark blue and begins to swell. The swelling may persist for a number of days or weeks. Remnants of the spine(s) may be left imbedded in the skin, which must be completely removed.

If you try to cut the starfish it grows into more starfish! The only way to kill it is by a few natural predators. Few animals in the sea are willing to attack the spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, but surprisingly, some sea creatures prey on them. Notable predators of Ancanthaster planci include the Giant Triton, the harlequin shrimp, a species of worm, and various reef fish which feed on larvae or small adults. Recently, large solitary coral-like polyps of the genus Pseudocorynactis were observed to prey on the crown-of-thorns starfish. It is quite likely that the decline of these predators (through overharvesting, pollution, etc.) has been a factor that led to the rise in the population of the starfish, making outbreaks more likely to occur.

ReefQuest Videolog - Day 2 - Interview with Anthony Ahola

Hi guys we are on Day 2 of the expedition -- we are having some weather issues at the reef so today I went to look for people who knew about this reef and met Anthony Ahola who is a naturalist and has come to know this reef well. I interviewed him  and learned a lot. Look at the video here to see the interview. Afterwards I found a picture of the "broomfish" that he described in the video. Also attached is a picture of diver Chris Doherty with an octopus! Look at the video for more!

ReefQuest Videolog - Day 1 - the arrival!

ReefQuest 2008 is kicking off -- the kids partecipating met up in Los Angeles and travelled first to Honolulu and then to the reef location on Maui. In this videolog you will see our arrival which included flying over the reef! This is the videolog of Day 1 of the expedition! Click on the video to see it!

An introduction to Coral and Coral Reefs

What are corals?

Corals are invertebrate animals belonging to a large group of colourful and fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group that you may have seen in rock pools or on the beach include jelly fish and sea anemones. Although Cnidarians exhibit a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, they all share the same distinguishing characteristics; a simple stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles. Each individual coral animal is called a polyp, and most live in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a 'colony'. The colony is formed by a process called budding, which is where the original polyp literally grows copies of itself.

Coral are generally classified as either "hard coral" or "soft coral". There are around 800 known species of hard coral, also known as the 'reef building' corals. Soft corals, which include seas fans, sea feathers and sea whips, don't have the rock-like calcareous skeleton like the others, instead they grow wood-like cores for support and fleshy rinds for protection. Soft corals also live in colonies, that often resemble brightly coloured plants or trees, and are easy to tell apart from hard corals as their polyps have tentacles that occur in numerals of 8, and have a distinctive feathery appearance. Soft corals are found in oceans from the equator to the north and south poles, generally in caves or ledges. Here, they hang down in order to capture food floating by in the currents that are usually typical of these places.

What are coral reefs?
Hard corals extract abundant calcium from surrounding seawater and use this to create a hardened structure for protection and growth. Coral reefs are therefore created by millions of tiny polyps forming large carbonate structures, and are the basis of a framework and home for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of other species. Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet, and the only living structure to be visible from space.

As we currently know them, coral reefs have evolved on earth over the past 200 to 300 million years, and over this evolutionary history, perhaps the most un ique feature of corals is the highly evolved form of symbiosis. Coral polyps have developed this relationship with tiny single-celled plants, known as zooxanthellae. Inside the tissues of each coral polyp live these microscopic, single-celled algae, sharing space, gas exchange and nutrients to survive.

This symbi osis between plant and animal also contributes to the brilliant colors of coral that can be seen while diving on a reef. It is the importance of light that drives corals to compete for space on the sea floor, and so constantly pushes the limits of their physiological tolerances in a competitive environment among so many different species. However, it also makes corals highly susceptible to environmental stress.

Coral reefs are part of a larger ecosystem that also includes mangroves and seagrass beds. Mangroves are salt tolerant trees with submerged roots that provide nursery and breeding grounds for marine life, that then migrate to the reef. Mangroves also trap and produce nutrients for food, stabilise the shoreline, protect the coastal zone from storms, and help filter land based pollutants from run off. Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that are a key primary producer in the food web. They provide food and habitat for turtles, seahorses, manatees, fish and foraging sea life such as urchins and sea cucumbers, and are also a nursery for many juvenile species of sea animals. Seagrass beds are like fields that sit in shallow waters off the beach, filtering sediments out of the water, releasing oxygen and stabilising the bottom.

How do corals eat?
While most of a corals diet is obtained from zooxanthellae, they can also 'fish' for food too. During feeding a coral polyp will extend its tentacles out from its body and wave them in the water current where they encounter small fish, plankton or other food particles. The surface of each tentacle has thousands of stinging cells called cnidoblasts, and when small prey floats or swims past, the tentacles fire these stinging cells, stunning or killing the prey before passing it to the mouth.

How do they reproduce?

Many coral species reproduce once or twice each year. Most coral species spawn by releasing eggs and sperm into the water, but the period of spawning varies from one species to another. When an egg and a sperm meet they form a larva known as a planula. The baby coral looks like

a little tiny jellyfish and floats around near the surface at first, and then in the water column until it finds a suitable space to call home - usually a hard surface to attach to. Other limited distribution coral species are brooders. This is where only male gametes are released into the water, then taken in by female coral animals containing egg cells. Fertilization occurs inside the female coral, and a small planula develops inside it. This planula is released through the mouth of the female coral and drifts or crawls away to settle elsewhere and grow into a new colony.Coral spawning happens at the same time each year and appears to be related to the lunar cycle. This allows scientists and divers the opportunity to observe this magnificent phenomenon, along with all the fish and predators that come to feed on them.

How fast do they grow?
Even in ideal conditions, these reef building corals are slow growing. They exhibit a wide range of shapes. For instance, branching corals have primary and secondary branches. Sub-massive corals look like fingers or clumps of cigars and have no secondary branches. Table corals form table-like structures and often have fused branches. Elkhorn coral has large, flattened branches. Foliose corals have broad plate-like portions rising in whorl-like patterns. Encrusting corals grow as a thin layer against a substrate. Massive corals are ball-shaped or boulder-like and may be as small as an egg or as large as a house. Mush room corals resemble the unattached tops of mushrooms. In general, massive corals tend to grow slowly, increasing in size from 0.5 cm to 2 cm per year. However, under favorable conditions (high light exposure, consistent temperature, moderate wave action), some species can grow as much as 4.5 cm per year. In contrast to the massive species, branching colonies tend to grow much faster, and under favorable conditions, these colonies can grow vertically by as much as 10 cm per year.

Where are they found?
Coral reefs are found throughout the oceans, from deep, cold waters to shallow, tropical waters. Temperate and tropical reefs however are formed only in a zone extending at most from 30°N to 30°S of the equator; the reef-building corals prefering to grow at depths shallower than 30 m (100 ft), or where the temperature range is between 16 -32oc, and light levels are high.Based on current estimates, shallow water coral reefs occupy somewhere

between 284,000 and 512,000 km2 of the planet (cold-water (deep) coral reefs occupy even more area). If all the world's shallow water coral reefs were crammed together, the space would equal somewhere between an area of land ranging from the country of Ecuador (the low estimate) to Spain (the h igher estimate). This area-about 198 thousand square miles in an ocean of 140 million square miles-represents less than 0.015 percent of the ocean. Yet coral reefs harbor more than one quarter of the ocean's biodiversity. That's an amazing statistic when you think about it: no other ecosystem occupies such a limited area with more life forms.

What does a coral reef look like?
It was Charles Darwin who originally classified coral reefs as to their structure and morphology, and desc ribed them as follows:

• Fringing reefs lie near emergent land. They are fairly shallow, narrow and recently formed. They can be separated form the coast by a navigable channel (which is sometimes incorrectly termed a "lagoon").
  
• Barrier reefs are broader and lie farther away from the coast. They are separated from the coast by a stretch of water which can be up to several miles wide and several tens of metres deep. Sandy islands covered with a characteristic pattern of vegetation have sometimes formed on top of a barrier reef. The coastline of these islands is broken by passes, which have occupied the beds of former rivers.
  
• Atolls are large, ring-shaped reefs lying off the coast, with a lagoon in their middle. The emergent part of the reef is often covered with accumulated sediments and the most characteristic vegetation growing on these reefs consists of coconut trees. Atolls develop near the sea surface on underwater islands or on islands that sink, or subside.
  

Explore where the coral reefs are by clicking here. ( NOTE: this link will take you out of this site -- you can come back here by clicking the back arrow of your browser).

Do you live near a coral reef? Why do you think coral reefs are where they are? What ingredients are likely to be present in those locations to allow for the development of coral reefs?

How do you know if a coral reef is sick?

Why are coral reefs threatened?
The majority of reef loss or damage is not deliberate. Coral reefs are being degraded by an accumulation of stresses arising from human activities. In simple terms, stresses can be grouped by the actions of people extracting material from, and placing materials upon, coral reefs. Over-fishing, pollution and coastal development top the list of chronic stressors. In many situations chronic stresses are overwhelming the resilience, (or the capacity for self-repair), of reef communities. Some coral reefs are covered with sand, rock and concrete to make cheap land and stimulate economic development. Others are dredged or blasted for their limestone or to improve navigational access and safety. In addition to this, long-term changes in the oceans and atmosphere (rising sea temperatures and levels of CO2), and acute stresses from highly variable seasons, severe storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions also affect coral reefs.
So what are the different things we are doing to damage coral reefs?

Over-fishing: Increasing demand for food fish and tourism curios has resulted in over fishing of not only deep-water commercial fish, but key reef species as well. Over-fishing of certain species near coral reefs can easily affect the reef's ecological balance and biodiversity. For example, over-fishing of herbivorous fish can also lead to high levels of algal growth. From subsistence level fishing to the live fish trade, inadequate fisheries management is forcing the decline of fish stocks. Choose seafood products that come from certified, well-managed and sustainable fisheries. Certified products are available at most supermarkets - check out the product label, or visit: www.fishonline.org

Destructive fishing methods: Fishing with dynamite, cyanide and other methods that break up the fragile coral reef are highly unsustainable. Dynamite and cyanide stun the fish, making them easier to catch. Fishermen say they have no other option if they are to compete with trawlers and overcome a smaller supply of fish because of previous over-fishing. These practices generally do not select or target particular fish species and often result in juveniles being killed in the process. Damaging the coral reef habitat on which the fish rely will also reduce the productivity of the area, with further impacts on the livelihoods of fishermen.

Unsustainable tourism: Tourism generates vast amounts of income for host countries. Where unregulated however, tourism pressures can cause damage to the very environment upon which the industry depends. Physical damage to the coral reefs can occur through contact from careless swimmers, divers, and poorly placed boat anchors. Hotels and resorts may also discharge untreated sewage and wastewater into the ocean, polluting the water and encouraging the growth of algae, which competes with corals for space on the reef.

Coastal development: The growth of coastal cities and towns generates a range of threats to nearby coral reefs. Where space is limited, airports and other construction projects may be built on land reclaimed from the sea. Sensitive habitats can be destroyed or disturbed by dredging activities to make deep-water channels or marinas, and through the dumping of waste materials. Where land development alters the natural flow of water, greater amounts of fresh water, nutrients and sediment can reach the reefs causing further degradation. Within the last 20 years, once prolific mangrove forests, which absorb massive amounts of nutrients and sediment from runoff caused by farming and construction, have been destroyed. Nutrient-rich water causes fleshy algae and phytoplankton to thrive in coastal areas in suffocating amounts known as algal blooms. Coral reefs are biological assemblages adapted to waters with low nutrient content, and the addition of nutrients favours species that disrupt the balance of the reef communities.

Pollution: Coral reefs need clean water to thrive. From litter to waste oil, pollution is damaging reefs worldwide. Pollution from human activities inland can damage coral reefs when transported by rivers into coastal waters. Do your bit - do not drop litter or dispose of unwanted items on beaches, in the sea, or near storm drains.

Global Aquarium Trade: It is estimated that nearly 2 million people worldwide keep marine aquariums. The great majority of marine aquaria are stocked with species caught from the wild. This rapidly developing trade is seeing the movement of charismatic fish species across borders. Threats from the trade include the use of cyanide in collection, over-harvesting of target organisms and high levels of mortality associated with poor husbandry practices and insensitive shipping. Some regulation is in place to encourage the use of sustainable collection methods and to raise industry standards.

Click here to navigate to Google Maps and see a close up of our reef on the Island of Maui. (NOTE: this link will take you out of this site -- to come back use the back-arrow in your browser). Use the map to look around the coast. Do you see anything that could be contributing to damaging the coral? Tell us in your posts what you discover.

How are corals affected by climate change?

Coral Bleaching: Coral bleaching occurs when the symbiosis between corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae breaks down, resulting in the loss of the symbionts and a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching"). This is a stress response by the coral host that can be caused by various factors, but more severe and frequent cases are being caused by a rise in sea surface temperature (SSTs). If the temperature decreases, the stressed coral can recover; if it persists, the affected colony can die.

The impacts from coral bleaching are becoming global in scale, and are increasing in frequency and intensity. Mass coral bleaching generally happens when temperatures around coral reefs exceed 1oC above an area's historical norm for four or more weeks.

Sea surface temperature increases have been strongly associated with El Niño weather patterns. However, light intensity, (during doldrums, i.e. flat calm conditions), also plays a critical role in triggering the bleaching response. If temperatures climb to more than 2o C for similar or longer periods, coral mortalities following bleaching increase.

Mass coral bleaching was not documented in the scientific literature before 1979; however, significant mass bleaching events have since been reported in 1982, 1987, 1992 and the strongest sea surface warming event ever recorded occurred in 1998, where an estimated 46% of corals in the western Indian Ocean were heavily impacted or died. In 2005 sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean were the highest reported in more than 100 years, and there was also significant coral bleaching following this warming. This year, coral bleaching is being reported in several locations around the world. If sea surface temperatures continue to rise, then the frequency and severity of coral bleaching will also increase, likely affecting the ability of coral reefs, as we have known them, to adapt and to provide many of the services that people rely upon.

Rising sea levels: Observations since 1961 show that the average temperature of the global ocean has increased even at depths of 3000m (IPCC report), and that the ocean has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat added to the climate system. Such warming causes sea level rise and creates problems for low lying nations and islands.

Ocean Acidification: This is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Although the natural absorption of CO2 by the world's oceans helps mitigate the climatic effects of anthropogenic emissions of CO2, it is believed that the resulting decrease in pH, (i.e. making the water acidic), will have negative consequences, primarily for oceanic calcifying organisms such as coral reefs.

What other causes are damaging coral reefs?

Coral Disease: During the last 10 years, the frequency of coral disease appears to have increased dramatically, contributing to the deterioration of coral reef communities around the globe. Most diseases occur in response to the onset of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, natural events and human-caused activities may exacerbate reef-forming corals' susceptibility to waterborne pathogens.

More information is needed to identify the mechanisms by which most diseases kill their hosts, and how they are transmitted. The onset of coral disease has been shown to spread following coral bleaching events, so the evidence of a connection between warmer-than-normal water and coral disease is growing stronger. There is also evidence to indicate that low water quality increases incidence. It is critical that governments and managers continue their efforts to reduce (or stop) the effects of other major reef threats (sediments, pesticides, nutrients, over-fishing, etc.) while this scientific information is gathered, if we are to give coral reefs a fighting chance of survival.

Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTs): The Crown of Thorns Starfish is a voracious coral reef predator. Populations of the COTs have increased since the 1970s and large outbreaks of starfish can occur wiping out huge tracks of coral reef. Few animals in the sea are willing to attack the spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, but some shrimp, worms and species of reef fish do feed on larvae or small adults. The decline of these predators, through over-harvesting and pollution, is one factor contributing to the rise in the population of the starfish.

Alien invasive species: Species that, as a result of human activity, have been moved, intentionally or unintentionally, into areas where they do not occur naturally are called "introduced species" or "alien species". In some cases where natural controls such as predators or parasites of an introduced species are lacking, the species may multiply rapidly, taking over its new environment, often drastically altering the ecosystem and out-competing local organisms. The damage caused by invasive species can be devastating, through alteration of ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity loss, reduction of the resilience of ecosystems, and loss of resources, with environmental, economic as well as socio-cultural impacts.

Now dive with marine biologist James Crabbe and see coral reef bleaching for yourself. Click here to dive! (NOTE: this link will take you out of this site -- to come back use the back arrow on your browser)

Map from Space of Kaanapali North Reef

See below the picture taken from space of the Kaanapali North Reef. Our first job is to name all the relevant sections of the reef. Can you use this map and identify features that look interesting enough to name? The team will use the map that results to plan dives and reference the spots where information is discovered.

Take a virtual dive at the Kaanapali North Reef!

We have created a special link for you to come diving with us in the Kaanapali North Reef, the location for ReefQuest. As we collect underwater pictures of the animal we encounter while diving in the reef we post them to this special map. Click on the link below and you will be able to see where what animals we have been encountering. To help you recognize some of the fish you can open and print a reef fish chart by clicking here. Use the chart while you take the virtual dive and let us know what you find. We need help identifying where the various types of fish live. Post your discoveries as comments below.

Click here to start your virtual dive. Hint: once you see the map with the pictures, change the map settings to "satellite" and zoom as close as possible to the area of the pictures and reef. Now start your dive!

What is your carbon footprint?

Most scientists now agree that carbon emissions created by us are at the heart of climate change. According to the most recent United Nations report on climate change, there is little doubt that our climate is warming, and in turn many of the key systems in our planet relating to nature and the climate are being affected. The oceans may be rising as a result. Some people, however, question wether these changes are the result of human activity as opposed as a natural process or even a cycle that the Earth undergoes every few thousand of years. Wether this is human created or natural, it is affecting the climate, and regardless it is a fact that we are putting into our atmosphere an unprecedented amount of pollutants. These are poisons and it can't be good for us or the Earth. Many of our activities that we do every day create carbon emissions even if we do not realize it. This is because many activities use energy sources, most of which involve burning or a chemical reactions that produces carbon emission. Even growing food or purifying water involves large quantities of carbon emission because those activities require energy. So you may ask, what can we do? Is it hopeless? Quite the contrary -- we can make a huge difference through conservation. We do not have to make huge changes, simply thread more lightly with nature. You are probably already familiar with recycling. That is one way to save energy, because those products contain energy that can be re-cycled. Using less water is another way. Can you think of other ways we could reduce our use of energy? Post your thoughts.

Below is a link to a special web site that allows you to see where in the world they are producing the most carbon. Look at different parts of the world and see if you can distinguish a pattern. Which countries produce the most carbon? Why do you think? What factors could contribute the most to carbon emissions?

Use the carbon emission mapping system

Playing the water game?

Ever wonder where the water you're drinking came from? 

Water is constantly in motion. Sometimes quickly, like in a fast-flowing river, but sometimes it moves quite slowly, as in underground aquifers.  To understand the endless cycle of water and why it is all interconnected,  click here to play the interactive water game! Tell us your thoughts. (NOTE: this link will take you out of this site -- to come back use the back arrow on your browser)

Be a Planet Protector!

The Environmental Protection Agency (or EPA) is the US Government organization chartered to protect human health and the environment. They have asked that all kids become Planet Protectors by joining the EPA's Planet Protectors Club. As a Planet Protector your mission is to improve the world around you by making less trash. Planet Protectors also help other people learn to reduce, reuse and recycle. To see the EPA's Planet Protectors Club for Kids click here. To be a Planet Protector you have to complete certain missions. First down load the case of the broken loop by clicking here. Once you solve that mission you will need to take the follow that trail challenge. Learn how to make less trash here. Learn the hidden reasons linking trash and climate change here! If you succeed in become a Planet Protector tells us about it! Give clues to the other kids by posting here!

On the trail of the missing ozone!

Did you know that a chemical in the atmosphere, called Ozone, is very important for the survival of all life on Earth? However pollution is hurting this chemical balance in our atmosphere. To understand this better, join our hero, Farley in a hunt for the missing Ozone in the air. This comic book features a reporter who uncovers some surprising facts about air pollution. Click here to download our comic book about it!

Use the Earth Day Kids Book to start a project near you!

Earth Day is one of two observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969. A second Earth Day, which was founded by U.S. politician Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in the late 1970s, is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22.

To see what is planned for the next Earth Day click here. You can also watch Earth Day TV by clicking right here! (NOTE: these links will take you outside of our website. To come back please click the "back" arrow on your browser).

Now download the Earth Day Kids Book by clicking here, print it out and plan some activities for your neighborhood for the next Earth Day. Tell us what you are doing and upload your comments here!

Clean Up Time!

Today we begun the process of cleaning up our reef. Of course we are talking about underwater clean-up. This is something you should do carefully or the risk could be high that we could damage the reef. Here is a link to the safe practices of cleaning up underwater habitats. These rules apply for coral reefs, but are probably good practice for any other environment. Here is a challenge for everyone. If you are near the ocean, on the beach or in the water, pick up any trash you find and put it away. Then tell us what and how much trash you collected. Let's try to tally how much trash we removed all together! A word of caution however: do not venture in the water without an adult and unless you are properly equipped and know how to swim. Do not pick up trash that you are not sure is safe, always ask an adult for help and let them know what you are doing. Even better enlist their help!

What is wrong with this picture?

What is wrong with this picture is a game. You have to spot all the things that are bad for the environment in a picture. Once you click on them you will find out more details about what is wrong. Click here to start the game. (NOTE: this link will take you out of our site -- to come back use the "back" arrow on your browser). Have you noticed some of these bad behaviors in your community? Tell us about below.